MALIBU, Calif. — The #7 Pepperdine men's volleyball team swept Daemen in Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night, posting 25-13, 25-18, 25-17.
 
Pepperdine (14-8) dominated all three sets over Daemen (11-3), with a.667 hitting % during the second set, and a .391 overall.
 
Graduate opposite Jaylen Jasper led the team with 11 kills, while junior middle blocker Andersen Fuller impressed with a .700 clip after posting seven kills on 10 errorless swings.  Senior middle blocker Akin Akinwumi earned a career-high five aces.
 
BIG WAVES
Jaylen Jasper (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck Senior HS/Stanford): 11 kills, 3 blocks
Andersen Fuller (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius HS): 7 kills, .700 hitting %, 3 blocks
Akin Akinwumi (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Peninsula HS): 7 kills, .455 hitting %, 5 aces 2 blocks
Bryce Dvorak (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS): 31 assists, 2 kills, 5 digs
Jacob Steele (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./El Toro HS): 6 kills, 2 aces, 4 digs, 2 blocks
Joe Deluzio (Windermere, Fla./The First Academy): 6 kills
Trey Cole (Long Island, N.Y./Connetquot HS): 9 digs
 
WAVES VS. WILDCATS
Pepperdine led the offensive with 39 kills on a .391 clip, while only giving up 26 kills on a .162 output to the Daemen attack. Although the Wildcats led the match with 6.5 blocks to the Waves 6.0 blocks, Pepperdine was able to deliver eight service aces and 20 digs as opposed to two aces and 15 digs from across the net.


 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          14          3           22         .500
2          12          4           22         .364
3          13          5           25         .320
TTL      39         12         69         .565
 
DAEMEN ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          8           5            23        .348
2          12         5            23        .522
3          6           5            22        .273
TTL      26         15          22        .382
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Pepperdine started the match with Andersen Fuller getting three kills Daemen could not reach, creating an early 9-4 lead. Blocks by Akin Akinwumi and Jacob Steele would stop the Wildcats attack, while Steele also provided a service ace. Although Pepperdine would challenge an out of bounds Daemen block, the call would stand. That would not stop the Waves from continuing to dominate the set, with a lead the opposition would be unable to overcome after more kills from Akinwumi and Fuller, taking set one 25-13.
 
The Wildcats opened up set two with the advantage, taking the first two points of the set, but the Waves quickly answered with three consecutive points. At 7-7, this set would be a back and forth until an ace from Akinwumi and a kill from Joe Deluzio would change the squad's pace and allow a 14-9 lead. Daemen's defense would attempt to counter kills from Jaylen Jasper and Deluzio, but opposition errors and an ace from Akinwumi would secure set two 25-18.
 
Pepperdine started off set three on a 3-0 run with a big kill from Jasper accompanied by an ace from Deluzio. Another challenged call would confirm the ace, followed by blocks from Jasper, Fuller, and Steele shutting down the Wildcat's attempt to bridge the 12-6 gap. An immense effort from Jasper on a dig would allow Steele to deliver a kill Daemen would be unable to defend. The Waves worked hard to defend out of reach balls to finish them with crucial kills, advancing their lead to 18-11. Blocks from Daemen allowed the opposition to gain an opportunity to catch up, but ultimately, an ace from Steele would send Pepperdine towards match point. A service error from the Wildcats would secure the Waves' win, 25-17.
 
UP NEXT
Next week on March 24 and 25, the Waves will continue on with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action in Provo, Utah, facing off against BYU at 6 p.m. both days.
 
FOLLOW
Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley.  Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.